Well-Known Member

You might as well just go through them in order. White Light White Heat is the only other essential one, imo. The others are good too though. Good solid rock album's, like, with good songs, but not as exciting.

Well-Known Member

You might as well just go through them in order. White Light White Heat is the only other essential one, imo. The others are good too though. Good solid rock album's, like, with good songs, but not as exciting.

I’d say that all four are essential but White Light/White Heat is my favourite. The other two are much more under Lou Reed’s influence so are more song-orientated than art rock (or whatever you want to call WL/WH) and the songs are miles ahead of most of his solo output. It’s like he got all his good writing done and then jumped ship after Loaded.

Well-Known Member

I’d say that all four are essential but White Light/White Heat is my favourite. The other two are much more under Lou Reed’s influence so are more song-orientated than art rock (or whatever you want to call WL/WH) and the songs are miles ahead of most of his solo output. It’s like he got all his good writing done and then jumped ship after Loaded.

Well it looks to me like you are into the jacked-up & gleefully off your trolley Velvets vibe. So I'd skip the exploratory album listening and go straight to Sister Ray:
Then check the essential Boston tea-party live extended version of Sister Ray(amazing):
Mr Rain from the 90s redux Paris concert:

Albums: You will probably love 'White Light White Heat'. Super Velvets album and my favourite.
After this Nico album, White Light White Heat lp, the VU Compilation and the live Paris Redux album are my favourites.
The Paris show is on YouTube in full. I remember seeing it in the 90s and being blown away.
I think Cale has some excellent solo material since also. Fragments of a rainy season is my all time favourite there, Paris1919, Slow Dazzle too. Songs like Guts and fear's a man's best friend are very abrasive in a Velvet's vein. His early 80s Rockplaast concert is great, also up on YouTube I'd say.

I went to New York in November to the Velvet Underground and Nico 50th anniversary concert, and Kurt Vile basically took Run Run Run and ramped it up to the hilt....people were rocking hether and forth in fits as it played. They finished with 'Sister Ray'. A song that is very much a progression from the Nico album. 'Heroin's half sister.

Sleeperbloke

I should probably listen to White Light White Heat so. I've dipped in and out of John Cale's discography over the years, not being Lou Reed really helped his basic case for me. It's like 800 thousand albums long though so I'll probably never properly get into him.